My Fearless Love
by Mia Vaan
Summary: Lucifer returns from Hell a little different... Post-Season 4.


**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I don't claim to own them, you know the drill.**

**AN: Still processing season 4, still hoping for that season 5 renewal. Have more fic.**

* * *

My love, my love, my fearless love,

I will not say goodbye

– "My Love Will Never Die", _Claire Wyndham_

* * *

When Chloe awoke, she somehow knew she was safe, despite the fact that she'd felt the exact opposite of safe when she'd been knocked out.

It all came rushing back to her; men surrounding them, Trixie's crying…

The death of a social worker had led to the LAPD uncovering a human-trafficking ring. But in her determination to bring them to justice, Chloe had found herself right at the top of their hit list; the ring leader had threatened to take Trixie and ship her off half-way across the world. So, the detective had brought out the big guns; she sic'd Maze on them.

Saying that it had backfired would be a huge understatement. Maze had gotten most of them, but a handful escaped and struck when Chloe was picking up Trixie from Dan's after dark. They'd been run off the road.

Chloe's last thoughts had been a prayer.

_Lucifer…help me… _

It had been months since he'd left. A talk with Amenadiel had revealed that Angels could hear prayers if their names were invoked, so Chloe had taken to praying for Lucifer. She'd received no reply from him, but had hoped he could hear her.

Perhaps he had.

Her senses slowly came back to her, and she opened her eyes. She was in the penthouse, lying on the couch, her shoes removed and a blanket placed over her.

Shortly after he left, Chloe had discovered Lucifer's last gift to her: his home. His attorney had shown up on her door and told her that in the event of any unexplained and prolonged absences from Mr. Morningstar, all of his possessions would go to her. His penthouse, Lux, his unimaginable wealth… It all belonged to her now.

She'd been worrying about keeping a roof over her head for herself and Trixie, since Maze had moved out. She'd never voiced this worry, but Lucifer had evidently noticed. And he'd made certain she was taken care of before he left.

She left the running of Lux to the manager Lucifer had hired, and she kept her job even though she didn't need it, but her financial worries were over. Trixie could go to college…

Trixie… Chloe immediately sat up. "Trixie?"

"I'm here, Mommy." Trixie entered her line of vision; she'd been sat waiting on one of the arm chairs.

Chloe let out a huge sigh of relief and opened her arms. Trixie hurried into the embrace. "Are you OK, Monkey?"

"I'm OK now," she explained. "I was scared when those men attacked us, until the monster came."

Monster? Chloe frowned. "What monster?"

"The monster that saved us," said Trixie. "He scared the men away and then he flew us back here."

Flew? Chloe had already suspected who had saved them, seeing as they were safe in their penthouse with no explanation as to how. And it didn't surprise her that he'd used his devil form to save them…but wouldn't he have changed back afterwards? At least so he didn't unintentionally scare Trixie?

Her hand instinctively touched the bullet necklace he'd given her. It had sat undisturbed in her jewellery box ever since she'd seen Lucifer's devil face, and she only returned it to its rightful place around her neck the day after he left.

"Did he…did he say anything before he left?" She wanted to see him again, but knew that Lucifer would've left before she woke up, to make things easier for the both of them. He probably couldn't afford to be away from Hell for very long, anyway…

"I don't think he can talk," Trixie replied. "And he didn't leave. He's outside." She pointed over at the balcony.

Chloe's gaze followed the direction her daughter was pointing in, and she gasped at the sight.

It was Lucifer, in his full devil form, crouched on the railing of the balcony and overlooking the city below. The only piece of clothing he wore was a pair of ripped, dirty trousers, possible the same ones he'd been wearing when he left. He looked like a stone gargoyle, reminding Chloe of the ones she'd seen at Notre Dame during her month-long trip to Europe. If she hadn't known better, she would've assumed he _was_ a statue; he was completely still apart from the steady rising and falling of his chest.

He was standing guard, she realized. He'd saved them, and now he was making sure they were protected.

"Don't be scared, Mommy." Her daughter must've mistaken her look of shock for one of fear. "He saved us. I was scared at first, but when he was scaring the bad men away, he crouched over us and he looked like that wolf on the nature show we watched. You remember? The daddy wolf who was protecting his cubs from the bear?"

Chloe remembered. She also remembered talking to Lucifer on the same balcony he was perched on, many months ago, when he promised that he would always protect Trixie.

"I'm not scared," she assured her daughter. "Monkey… I know this might be hard for you to believe, but… That's Lucifer. He was telling the truth when he said he's the Devil, and sometimes he looks like…that." She nodded to the figure outside. "That's why I'm not scared, and why you shouldn't be either."

Trixie frowned. "I knew Lucifer is the Devil, but I didn't know he could make himself look like _that_."

Chloe blinked. "You…knew?"

"Duh," said her daughter. As if it was obvious. "Lucifer never lies, and he always said he's the Devil. And when I first met him, he did this weird thing with his eyes. He scared the girl who was bullying me. It was really cool."

Her daughter had known about him the whole time, and hadn't been afraid. Chloe didn't know whether to feel embarrassed that her daughter had figured it out before her, or ashamed by her own actions when she'd seen the truth. Trixie had accepted Lucifer without question, while she'd run for the hills.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and let it out again. That was all in the past. Now Lucifer was back, and she wanted to spend as much time as she could with him before he returned to Hell.

After signalling for Trixie to wait on the couch, Chloe got to her feet and slowly made her way over to the balcony. She didn't try to hide her approach; she didn't want to startle him. Upon reaching the glass door, she spoke softly, "Lucifer?"

He turned to her, his red eyes blazing with Hellfire, and Chloe gasped involuntarily. She was no longer afraid of his devil form, but his eyes could still be a little shocking if she saw them without warning.

The fire in his eyes dimmed when he beheld her, and his entire being softened. Chloe smiled in response. She did that. She calmed the Devil; brought out the Angel within.

Lucifer didn't say a word. He climbed off the railings and stood before her, his head tilted slightly like it sometimes did when he was considering her. Then he walked towards her slowly, making a weird rumbling noise that definitely wasn't a growl. Chloe remained where she was and kept still as she observed his approach. The softness in his eyes made her want to rush forwards and tackle him in a hug, but again, she didn't want to startle him. Something wasn't right, and the fact that he hadn't spoken a word to her was making her Detective senses tingle.

He stopped directly in front of her and leaned down. She thought he was going to kiss her, but instead his forehead touched hers in an affectionate head bump. He then began to nuzzle her hair, making that weird rumbling noise again, and Chloe realized with a start that the noise was a purr.

A _purr_. Lucifer was purring like an overgrown cat. Something was definitely amiss, probably some devil-related issue.

Not that Chloe was complaining. Lucifer's left fist curled almost like a paw, keeping his sharp claws/nails away from her as he began to stroke her arm in a soothing manner. She felt safe and cared for and _cherished_, words which shouldn't be associated with the monstrous form in front of her, but she'd long stopped caring about what was conventional.

"Lucifer…" She placed a hand on his bare chest and rubbed her fingers in light circles. His purring increased, growing louder as he gave her another affectionate headbutt. She giggled in response. "Come inside?"

He blinked, seemingly not understanding her words, so Chloe gentle took the hand that was stroking her arm and led him inside. Lucifer followed without complaint, his wings pressing themselves closer to his body so they fit through the door. It was a shame, she thought, that they looked like that in his devil form. While she'd only caught a small glimpse of their feathery form right before Lucifer left, she'd had too many dreams to count about running her hands through his soft feathers…

Chloe led them back over to the couch, where Trixie was waiting. "Hi, Lucifer." The Detective wished that her daughter hadn't outgrown her need to barrel into and hug the people she liked, because the thought of her doing the same to Lucifer in _this_ form presented Chloe with a mental image that was both hilariously comical (if only for Lucifer's reaction) and endearing cute (again, for Lucifer's reaction).

Her Devil surprised her by not reacting with the awkwardness and uncertainty she expected, instead leaning forwards and giving Trixie her own affectionate head bump. The girl giggled, and Chloe's heart swelled at the sight. Her daughter's description of him as a wolf came back to her, and she realized that Lucifer was treating them as a wolf would treat his mate and offspring.

She blushed a little at the thought of Lucifer thinking of her as his _mate_.

His hand curled like a paw again and he gently nudged Trixie onto the couch. With Chloe, he gave her a few gentle headbutts in the same direction, and Chloe understood that he wanted them in the same place. "OK, OK, I'm going." She sat down with her daughter curled up next to her.

Lucifer then grabbed the blanket, and Chloe noted that he wasn't holding it properly; like he didn't know how. He then placed it over Chloe and Trixie, and Chloe helped him adjust it so it was covering them both. When Lucifer was satisfied with his work, he gave them both another head bump each before wandering over to the arm chair. He threw off the large pillows with ease and moved them over to the main couch, before doing the same to the other arm chair.

"He's making a fort!" Trixie cried out with delight. She went to get up and help him, but Lucifer made a different kind of rumbling noise, not a growl but not a purr either, and Trixie stayed put. Clearly Lucifer wanted to do this himself.

Chloe let out a giggle when she realized that her partner was _nesting_. Forget a wolf, he was acting like some kind of wolf-bird-cat hybrid. And it was _adorable_.

She reached for her phone with the intent of filming him work, but then she looked at the screen and saw all the missed calls, and the incident from earlier came rushing back to her.

With a sigh, she scrolled through the missed calls. Half of them were from Dan, the other half from Maze. She needed to call them back and assure them that she was OK, but was unsure how to explain to her ex what had happened. Deciding to deal with that later, she called Maze first. It was likely that she knew what was going on with Lucifer.

Maze picked up after the first ring. "_What have you done with them, you human scum?!_"

One overprotective demon best friend? Check. "Maze, it's me. We're fine. We're both fine."

"_Chloe?_" She heard Maze let out a sigh of relief. "_I'm sorry I didn't get them all on the first go. I've rounded up the rest of them at the scene of the crash. This is the rest of them, right?_"

"Hopefully," said Chloe. "I blacked out, so I don't know what happened exactly…"

"_Then how are you safe?_"

"Lucifer came back. He saved us."

Silence. "_Is he still there? I'm gonna kick his ass for ditching me. Not that I wanted to go back to Hell, but a heads up would've been nice._"

"Yes, he's still here, but…" Chloe glanced over at her partner. He'd fetched his pillows and bedsheets from his bedroom and was proceeding to build a fort around her and Trixie. "Maze, something's wrong with him. He's in his devil form, and he's not talking to me. I don't think he _can_. He's acting… well, I'd say feral, but a feral animal would be wild and ferocious, but Lucifer's acting all cuddly and cute, and he actually _purred_. Does any of that make sense to you?"

More silence. "_I'm on my way. Oh, and call your douche-y ex. He's worried about you._" She hung up before Chloe could protest.

The Detective sighed. She wanted to call Dan, but she knew that he'd want to see them both safe with his own eyes. And if he showed up and saw Lucifer in his devil form… She didn't even know how Lucifer would react, but Dan wouldn't take it well. Her ex-husband had never really liked Lucifer all that much, so he'd probably use this revelation as an excuse to shoot him. And since Lucifer was in her presence, it would kill him.

But at the same time, not telling Dan that they were safe would be cruel. She thought about texting him, but anyone could send a text, and if he thought it was someone who had captured them… It would be safer to call him. Then at least she could try and persuade him not to show up at the penthouse.

Like Maze, he picked up after the first ring. "_Chloe, is that you?_"

"Yes, it's me. We're fine. Trixie and I are fine."

"_Oh, thank God._" Chloe kept her mouth shut, but couldn't help her smile. Being in the know could be fun sometimes. "_What happened? How did you escape? Where are you now?_"

"We're at the penthouse," Chloe replied. "Those guys ran us off the road. I got knocked out, so I don't know what happened exactly, but Lucifer showed up and he saved us."

"_Lucifer saved you? He finally hauled his ass back here?_"

Chloe closed her eyes and kept her temper. She didn't know how Lucifer would react to her having an outburst, and preferred not to find out. "Dan, don't. If Lucifer hadn't shown up to save us, I'd be dead and Trixie would be who-knows-where by now."

"_Alright, I get it_." He was still annoyed, but he didn't sound like he wanted to pick a fight with the Devil, so Chloe counted it as a win. "_I'll be over as soon as I can-_"

"No," she said immediately. "I'm sorry, I know you'll wanna see us, but… Trixie's asleep," Her daughter frowned, and Chloe just shook her head as a silent command not to say anything, "and Lucifer and I need to talk. The last thing I need is you two coming to blows over nothing, especially after the night I've just had."

Dan sighed. "_Fine. I've gotta wrap up this case anyway. Just let me know when I can come over._"

"I will. See you then." She hung up and observed Lucifer's handiwork.

The fort he'd built around them was bigger than the ones she'd created with Trixie, but still cosy. Trixie giggled as Lucifer appeared at the entrance, his wings folded flat against his back but still visible. He was going to join them inside.

Right before he could, the elevator dinged and his gaze snapped in the sound's direction. His entire body tensed and his chest began to vibrate with a deep growl that would be chilling, if Chloe didn't know with all certainty that Lucifer would never hurt her or Trixie. He leapt away from the fort, his growl becoming a snarl. Chloe threw off the blanket and crawled out after him, while also signalling for her daughter to stay where she was.

"Lucifer!" When she was on her feet, she looked across the room and saw that the intruder wasn't an intruder, but Maze.

The demon took one look at the snarling Devil and immediately knelt before him, with her head lowered. "My lord, I mean you and yours no harm. I am not a threat to them. I am Mazikeen, daughter of Lilith, and I am here to serve."

Lucifer's growls quietened to a low rumble. He was on all fours, yet still managed to tower over Maze. Slowly, he leaned forwards and sniffed her like a dog would; Maze remained motionless as he did. After a few moments of this, he appeared satisfied and rose back onto his feet, before turning away from the demon. He immediately made his way over to Chloe and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Chloe let him.

Lucifer buried his nose in her hair, and Chloe realized that he was looking at Maze again. She followed his gaze and found the demon observing the pair with a raised eyebrow. She looked amused, and vaguely impressed.

"Congrats, Decker. You tamed the Devil."

Before Chloe could ask what was going on, Trixie appeared out of the fort and said, "Hi, Maze."

Lucifer's gaze turned to the child and followed her as she walked across the room to greet the demon. He looked ready to pounce on Maze at any moment, and as endearing as his protectiveness was, Chloe knew that she needed to get Lucifer back to himself as soon as possible. She had a feeling _this_ Lucifer wouldn't be willing to let her and Trixie leave the penthouse at all.

Maze was careful not to spook him, and simply ruffled Trixie's hair in greeting. Lucifer began to growl again, and Chloe placed a hand on his chest. The growling stopped.

"What's going on, Maze?" she asked. "Why is he like…this?"

Even though he'd stopped growling, Lucifer continued to glare at Maze until she took a step back from Trixie. Only then did Chloe feel him relax.

"For starters, forgive me if I don't get any closer," said Maze. "He just made a big show of letting me know you're his, and I'm not feeling suicidal right now."

Chloe wasn't a fan of possessive behaviour – she'd always hated when Dan did it – but Lucifer wasn't exactly himself, so she let it slide. She was just glad he hadn't peed on her like a dog would.

"Answers, Maze?"

The demon sighed. "Back in the old days, sometimes there were moments where Hell was too much for him to handle. In order to cope and protect himself, he'd go feral and let loose for a while. It's completely involuntary. The first time it happened, I had to lock him up somewhere until he calmed down and stopped tearing through the demons that got in his way. After it happened a few more times, I managed to lure Lucifer to Earth and stuck him in the middle of an empty field. It was quiet and calm, and that helped him get back to himself quicker than when I locked him up in Hell. Eventually Lucifer and I figured out how to predict his outbursts, so whenever he felt himself getting close to one, he'd take a vacation and spend some time here in order to head it off. Amenadiel always sent him back to Hell, but a few days on Earth every now and again was enough."

"That's why he kept coming to Earth." Chloe found herself stroking Lucifer's chest, causing him to purr and nuzzle her hair in response. "He needed time away from Hell."

"That's why he came up here seven years ago; he sensed that he was going to have another episode," Maze continued. "But this time he didn't go back, and since he was up here all the time, we didn't worry about it happening again. But he went back…" She sighed again. "It's never happened so quickly before. Time moves faster in Hell, but it still should've taken a lot longer."

Chloe frowned. "Then what caused it?"

"The demons could've given him a hard time, when he got back," Maze replied. "Maybe it's because he's changed; he isn't the same Devil he used to be. Softer. So, it probably wouldn't take as long for it to happen. But my money's on the shock of…of leaving…" Her gaze met Chloe's.

She knew what the demon meant. "The shock of leaving me."

Maze nodded. "Whenever he got like this, he attacked anyone in his path. I had to work damn hard to get him to recognize my scent so he'd leave me alone, and even then, it didn't always work and he'd attack me anyway. You and Trixie are the first people he's been like this with."

The revelation wasn't as overwhelming as when she'd discovered she made the Devil vulnerable, though what it meant was more or less the same. She, Chloe Decker – single mother, cop, failed actress – could tame the Devil when he was at his most untameable. She wanted to ask what was so special about her – how could she tame him, how could she make him bleed, why was she immune to his "mojo" – but she was almost afraid of the answer she'd get. It was probably why she never questioned Lucifer or Amenadiel about it.

Lucifer gave her another gentle headbutt, and Chloe realized that she'd stopped rubbing his chest. She continued to do so, and he purred in response. "How do we change him back?" she asked. Because as adorable as he was, he couldn't stay like this.

"We have to wait it out," Maze replied. "He's on Earth, which is a good start, and if you stay close to him then he'll probably change back quicker than normal."

"OK." She nodded. "But what about the demons? Won't they try and come back if they know he's here?"

"When Lucifer's like that? They wouldn't dare."

Maze had mentioned that Lucifer tore through any demons that got in his way. Chloe nodded again. It would give them time to spend together, even after Lucifer changed back.

Lucifer took to glaring at Maze again, and the demon just rolled her eyes before moving towards the bar to get a drink. Trixie hurried back over to the fort, giggling with excitement, and Lucifer began to nudge Chloe in the same direction. They were halfway there when the elevator dinged again.

A second passed between the ding and the elevator doors opening, and in that second, Chloe hoped it was someone in the know. Linda, Amenadiel… Even Eve would have been preferable.

It was none of them. Instead, Dan stepped out of the elevator, and Chloe felt the urge to punch him for ignoring her. Again.

Her ex didn't get the chance to speak. He took one look at Lucifer in his devil form, swore in Spanish, and went for his gun.

Everything happened at once.

Lucifer let out a truly terrifying snarl and lunged forwards. Dan brought his gun out and levelled it at his attacker. Chloe cried out in horror and leapt in front of her partner.

Maze whipped out a knife and sent it flying, her aim perfect. It hit Dan's gun before he could pull the trigger, knocking it out of his hand. Chloe placed both her hands on Lucifer's chest, and while she knew he was perfectly capable of tossing her aside, his refusal to hurt her kept him in place. But he continued to growl at Dan, his fiery gaze never leaving him.

Before Dan could retrieve his gun, Maze was by his side and kicked the weapon across the floor. She grabbed both his arms and held them behind his back.

"Maze!"

"It's for your own good. Or else you'll do something stupid."

"What are you doing here, Dan?" Chloe spoke up. "I thought I told you not to come until I said you could."

Her words drew his attention back in her direction, and his eyes widened again as they'd done when he'd first arrived. A part of Chloe felt bad for him; he was getting the full blast of Lucifer's devil form, wings and all, while she'd only seen his face the first time.

"Chloe, get away from that thing!"

Lucifer's growl grew deeper, and Chloe kept stroking his chest in an attempt to calm him. "He's not a thing. Lucifer will never hurt me. Now answer the question: why are you here when I specifically told you _not_ to come?"

Realization sank into her ex's eyes. "I came because I still don't trust Lucifer. He may have saved you, but he's dangerous. I guess I was right not to trust him. Chloe, he's the _actual Devil_. He's a monster. Look at him! How can you even be _near_ him?"

Whether he understood the words or at least the threatening tone in them, Lucifer's response was an attempt to get around Chloe and attack. Chloe turned away from her ex and tried to draw his attention back to her. "Lucifer…" When he kept his gaze on Dan, Chloe stood on her tip toes and nuzzled her cheek against his neck.

His growls cut off almost instantly, and he returned the gesture. Chloe could feel that he was still tense, but he was calmer, so she stopped and turned back to face her ex. Lucifer didn't growl again, but he placed one arm around her waist, sending Dan a clear message. Chloe would've rolled her eyes had the situation not been so serious.

Before she could respond to Dan, her daughter spoke up instead. "Lucifer's not a monster, Daddy. He saved us. He protected us." She'd crossed the room again and was standing to their right, smart enough not to stray too far from Lucifer.

Chloe watched the fear fill Dan's expression, and part of her understood what he was feeling. He struggled to pull free from Maze, but she merely tightened her grip.

"Trixie, come here," he said, sounding desperate.

The girl shook her head and stayed where she was. "I'm not going anywhere. You were the one who sent the bad man to hurt Lucifer that time."

Dan snapped his head back to Chloe. "You know about that? And you told her?"

"Yes, I know about it. But I didn't tell her; I'm not sure how she found out," said Chloe. "Seriously, you need to go and take a good look in a mirror, Dan. You keep on saying that Lucifer makes bad things happen, that people get hurt around him. Believe me when I say that it's not his fault. But when you stupidly tried to take revenge for no reason other than you didn't like him, Trixie almost got killed in the crossfire – and that _was_ your fault."

She watched the guilt eat at him, and she felt bad for bringing it up again, especially since he'd been seeing Linda to help him cope with what happened. But if she got through to him and got him to back down…

It didn't work. "At least I'm not a monster." He attempted to pull out of Maze's grasp and get to Trixie.

But Maze kept her hold on him, and the attempt didn't go unnoticed by Lucifer. He extended his wings out, the right shielding Trixie from Dan's view while the left curled around Chloe protectively. He gave Dan a warning growl.

"Dan, you need to leave," Chloe told him firmly. "You're going to make things worse."

Maze moved Dan further away from them for his own safety, pushing him behind the bar so it was between him and the angry Devil.

"Chloe, how can you be so _stupid_?!" he yelled. "He's the _Devil_! He's evil! He either wants to suck out your souls or drag you both down to Hell! What is _wrong_ with you?!"

That was it.

Chloe felt something in her snap. He sounded so much like he used to, back when they were arguing constantly and then when they were separated. She remembered how he always used to undermine her, question her decisions when it came to cases, make her doubt herself. She looked at him and wondered why she ever considered getting back together with him, even when it had mostly been for her daughter's sake.

But his words also brought back the guilt. She'd let Father Kinley use these same arguments to sway her; she'd ignored her instincts and let him manipulate her. Not only had that almost led her to banishing Lucifer to Hell forever, it had almost destroyed her partnership with him.

It was a flaw she had been working on fixing. She trusted the wrong people, and didn't realize they were manipulating her until it was too late. Maze had told her about Cain's plans (while also apologizing over and over for her involvement), and the thought of him manipulating her feelings and using her for his own gain – to not only get himself killed but then frame Lucifer for his death – made her feel sick.

She wasn't going to let that happen any longer. She vowed to listen to no one but herself; follow her gut no matter what. And her gut was telling her that Lucifer was her partner, her best friend, a man who loved her. A man she loved in return.

"Did you ever love me, Dan?" she began. She kept her voice even, not wanting to yell in case it sent Lucifer over the edge. "When we were married and I made Detective, you were always questioning me, constantly making me doubt myself. You never said I was stupid, but you acted like that's what you thought. And here you are again, assuming I'm the one who's wrong about something because you can't seem to comprehend that _you're_ actually the one in the wrong. Not only are you trying to make me doubt myself as a Detective, but as a mother, too. Do you really think that I would let Trixie anywhere near Lucifer if I thought, _even for a second_, that he was dangerous?"

"Chloe, you're not thinking straight-"

"I'm not the one blinded by anger or hatred," she told him. "Look, I get it. There was a time where I let my feelings blind me to the real picture. Part of me still loved you even when we were separated, and those feelings stopped me from realizing that you were the one who shot Malcolm, and that you were gaslighting me to save your own skin."

He looked away at that. "Chloe, I'm sorry I did that, but Lucifer-"

"Always told me the truth," she interrupted. "Yes, he kept things from me, but only out of fear that I would run if I saw the truth. And considering that was exactly what I did, I can't really blame him for not telling me sooner. He's made mistakes, but so have I."

"But your feelings for him are blinding you! You just said yourself that they blinded you when it came to me-"

"I don't let them anymore. The only time my feelings for him blinded me was when I was with Pierce. I wanted to move on, I wanted to ignore my feelings, so I threw myself into a relationship with Pierce in order to do that. If I'd actually been paying attention to the man I was dating, I know I would've realized something was off. I nearly _married_ him, and maybe Lucifer should've tired harder to tell me what was really going on, but he _did_ try to warn me in his own weird way, and I should've listened. At the end of the day, my gut told me something was wrong, I ignored it, and I almost ended up married to a crime boss."

"And I'm glad you didn't marry him, I am," said Dan. "But Lucifer is still the Devil-"

"That's exactly what Father Kinley said," Chloe continued. "After I saw the truth, I ran. That's why I took Trixie to Europe; I needed to get away for a while, I needed to know more. Kinley must've found out what I knew, and he used my uncertainty to manipulate me. He told me what you're telling me now, and I was so confused and afraid that I listened. But it was a mistake, and I nearly sent my best friend who loved me to Hell because I doubted myself. Our partnership was almost destroyed because of my mistake. But I'm not doing that anymore. I'm listening to my gut, and it's telling me that Lucifer will never hurt me. He's not evil. You wanna know why he left? He went back to Hell, the place he _hates_, to stop the demons from escaping and wreaking havoc on the world. It was the most selfless thing I've ever seen anyone do, so don't you _dare_ tell me that he's an evil monster when you don't even know him, and I do."

Whatever Dan was going to say next, he didn't get the chance, because the elevator dinged _yet again_ signalling the arrival of someone else. Chloe wanted to yell 'sure, come and join the party!', but froze when she saw who it was.

The head of the trafficking ring. She didn't know his name, due to lack of records they had on the guy, and had only seen a picture of him taken from a distance. He had a gun, but before he could aim it or threaten anyone, his gaze fixed on Lucifer. He froze up, and the gun fell out of his hand, clattering to the floor. Lucifer's snarl was deadlier than any he'd made that evening.

It took a second for the man to come to his senses and scream, before turning back to the elevator. The doors had closed, and he hurriedly smashed the button to get them to open again.

In the next second, Lucifer was across the room and he grabbed the man by his shirt. Chloe realized that he could've gotten around her at any time during the confrontation with Dan, but hadn't, perhaps because a small part of him recognized Dan and knew not to hurt him for hers and Trixie's sakes. But with the ring leader, there was nothing stopping him; he turned and threw the man across the room. The ring leader hit the wall next to the gap that led to Lucifer's bedroom, and fell to the floor with a painful crunch.

During the scuffle, Maze had let go of Dan, who wasted no time in running to Trixie. He placed himself in front of her, but didn't attempt to leave with her; he stayed and watched what was happening. Maze too didn't get involved, and positioned herself by the elevator.

Lucifer prowled towards the man on the floor, and Chloe knew that in his feral state, the Devil didn't have any problems with killing him. And as angry as Chloe was at the man for the evil he'd committed, and for almost taking her daughter, she knew she couldn't let Lucifer kill him.

She placed herself between them, reminded of the time she'd done the same towards the beginning of their partnership. Even back then, on their third case together, Lucifer had still listened to her and backed off.

"Hey, it's OK." She placed both her hands on his chest and rubbed her fingers in circles, trying to soothe him. "Lucifer, it's OK. We're safe." Seeing the hellfire still burning in his eyes, she brought one hand up to cup his cheek. "I'm here."

Like before, the fire in his eyes dimmed when he beheld her. He mirrored her last movement, bringing his own hand up, and his fingers gently caressed her face. He was so careful that his claws didn't even touch her.

Then, very slowly, he encircled his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and burying his face into her shoulder. The noises he was making were different to before, at a higher pitch, and it took Chloe a moment to realize that he was whimpering. She pressed a kiss against his skin and continued to stroke him, whilst repeatedly assuring him that everything was OK. At the sound of her voice, his wings encircled them too, like he was trying to hide her away from the world.

She was still able to see what was going on around her, and watched as Maze passed them cautiously. The demon grabbed the ring leader by the shirt and dragged him away, towards the elevator. Lucifer looked up and watched too; he made no move to intercept or stop them.

Recalling who else was in the room, Chloe managed to look over Lucifer's shoulder to see Dan standing with Trixie. Her ex looked wary, but no longer afraid.

"Hey, Dan. Can you come with to process this scum?" Maze asked as she passed him.

He blinked, as if he'd only just remembered she was there. "Uh, yeah, sure." Then he turned back to Chloe and sighed. "Look… I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel stupid. I never meant for any of that stuff to happen, and while I'd love to give you an excuse for my behaviour, the truth is I don't have one. As for Lucifer…" His gaze flickered between the embracing pair. "I don't think he and I will ever see eye to eye, but if you can really stop him in his tracks when he's like this, then maybe he's not so bad."

"If you're still not sure, got talk to Linda," Chloe suggested. "She's in the know. And I'm sure Amenadiel can help, too."

"I think I will." Dan nodded, before turning to kneel in front of Trixie. "Now I know I've made a lot of mistakes, and that last one was the biggest of them all-"

Trixie flew forwards and hugged him, and Chloe was glad that Lucifer had his back turned so he didn't see it happen.

"I can't stay mad at you for long," said Trixie.

When the hug ended, Dan said his goodbyes and followed Maze into the elevator. Then, when the doors were closed, Chloe let the tension leave her body and hoped no one else interrupted them.

"Monkey, lock the elevator," she said, glad that Lucifer had installed the lock before leaving for Hell. While her daughter hurried to do as asked, Chloe finally pulled back from Lucifer and met his gaze. "Now, what to do with you until-"

She let out a startled "Oh!" when Lucifer suddenly swept her off her feet and into his arms, before carrying her bridal style over to the pillow fort. The shock wore off in seconds and she couldn't help but giggle, while also giving her partner a playful slap for his cheekiness. Lucifer responded with a gentle head bump. Trixie giggled as well, as she followed behind them.

Lucifer bent down and squeezed into the pillow fort, before gently placing Chloe onto the couch. Trixie hurried in and made herself comfortable on Chloe's left, and then Lucifer covered them both with the blanket. When he was satisfied, he settled down on the other side of Chloe and wrapped an arm around the mother and daughter. He rested his head against Chloe's and began to purr.

With the three of them snuggled up together, it didn't take long for Chloe to drift off to sleep, knowing that she and her daughter were safe.

* * *

Chloe awoke to a worrying whimper from Lucifer.

She opened her eyes in time to witness him leap to his feet with his wings spread wide, knocking over the entire pillow fort and sending cushions flying everywhere. Her mind worked fast, and in seconds she concluded that Lucifer hadn't returned to normal. She then noticed that he was panicking about something.

In the next second, she realized why: Trixie was nowhere in sight.

"Trixie!" she called out.

"Mommy?" Trixie appeared from the small flight of stairs that led down to the other parts of the penthouse; the kitchen, the other bedrooms, the guest bathroom… She'd gone to her own room while Chloe and Lucifer had still been sleeping.

Lucifer bounded across the penthouse and picked her up, hugging her like a parent reunited with their lost child. Trixie giggled at his antics, while Chloe tried to hold her tears back. She'd known before that Lucifer cared about Trixie despite his reluctance to spend time with her, and to see just how much…

Eventually Lucifer put her down, and Chloe came to stand beside them. "Why don't you go and get changed, Monkey? Then I'll make breakfast."

"OK." She turned and hurried back down the stairs.

Lucifer went to follow, but Chloe stepped in the way. "She's safe, Lucifer. You can let her out of your sight for five minutes."

He didn't look so sure, so Chloe figured that distracting him would do the trick. She bumped her head gently against his, and kept doing it until he returned his attention to her. Then she nuzzled his neck, occasionally pressing little kisses against his red skin.

In response, Lucifer let out a little growl, but it was in no way a threatening one; it was playful. He picked her up, and Chloe laughed out loud as he carried her back over to the couch. Placing her down on it, Lucifer nuzzled her neck in return, taking his time whenever he reached a sensitive spot which made her giggle.

When he pulled back, Chloe found herself cupping his face. And then, on impulse, she kissed him.

At first Lucifer remained still, as if he was uncertain how to react, but after only a few short seconds, he responded. Chloe poured everything into the kiss, showing him that she didn't want him to go back, wanted him to stay with her, showed him everything they could have and could be if he stayed… It deepened, and Chloe began to run her hands all over his body…

And when her hands reached his head, they were met with a full head of hair.

Chloe broke the kiss immediately and opened her eyes. Lucifer was before her, in his human form, looking dazed and confused. Whether that was from suddenly shifting back or from the kiss, she didn't know.

He blinked before his gaze settled on her. For a split second he frowned, but then his entire being filled with warmth when he realized that she was real and there right in front of him. "Chloe?"

She smiled. "Do you remember what happened?"

It took him a few seconds from what Chloe could gather, going by his face. But when he did, his eyes widened with realization, and then he was kissing her again. First on the lips, and then he pulled back and dotted her face with lots of little kisses. He was speaking to, and though most of his words were incoherent, she picked up on some of them and put together that he was relieved that she hadn't been afraid of his devil form and hadn't been bothered by his behaviour.

When his lips met hers again, it became apparent that their actions were going to lead to much more than kissing. She broke the kiss again and pulled away.

Lucifer just looked like a kicked puppy. "Chloe…?"

"Trixie's still here," she explained, and he looked relieved that this was the reason why they'd stopped, not because she didn't want to. "I'll call Dan to come and get her, and then you and I…"

He grinned, and she knew he was close to being his old self again.

* * *

It was the third time Chloe had woken up in the space of twenty-four hours, and it was dark again.

She was in Lucifer's bed, and Chloe smiled as she recalled the day they'd had. They hadn't spoken about what would happen in the future, Lucifer's inevitable return to Hell, or anything else of the kind. They'd just focussed on the present, on each other. Hours spent together, and not all of it filled with sex; they ate, they talked, wing grooming was involved, and there were times where they just held each other.

Her smile faded when she saw that the other side of the bed was empty. No Lucifer.

Tears filled her eyes. He'd left without saying goodbye, but maybe that was for the best. After being briefly reunited, it would've been harder for him to leave again, and Chloe knew she would've begged for him to stay despite the threat posed by the demons…

Or maybe he hadn't left yet. There was only one way to find out.

Chloe climbed out of bed and found one of Lucifer's shirts. She put it on, but didn't do all the buttons up. The top ones she left undone, so the bullet necklace was still visible. She recalled the way his eyes had filled with awe hours ago, when she'd undressed before him and he'd noticed it around her neck.

She walked into the main penthouse, and it didn't take long to locate him. He was stood outside on the balcony, and instantly Chloe's mind was filled with flashbacks of the day he left; he was standing in the same place, the last part of Earth he'd touched before leaving for Hell. She couldn't help the panic that overwhelmed her, and she ran outside with her mouth open ready to beg him not to leave…but no sound came out.

Because Lucifer wasn't alone.

There was another Angel stood next to him; another one of his brothers. The Angel's skin was pale, and his hair was white, but like Lucifer he looked like a man in his mid-thirties. The robes he wore were similar to the ones she'd seen Amenadiel wearing once, only these were a lighter shade of grey.

Lucifer and the Angel turned to her when she appeared, and Lucifer smiled softly. "Detective."

Chloe swallowed back her panic and composed herself. "I thought you were gone…"

"I'm sorry I scared you. I had some business to attend to…" He gestured to the Angel. "This is my brother, Duma."

The Angel, Duma, nodded at Chloe in greeting, but he didn't say a word.

"Hi," said Chloe, and she hated how small her voice sounded.

Lucifer turned back to his brother. "That's a deal, then?"

Duma nodded again, and from his back a pair of grey wings appeared. A second later, he was gone.

"He wasn't here to hurt you?" Chloe asked. Lucifer had mentioned once that he and his siblings didn't exactly get along; he hadn't gotten along with Amenadiel until recently.

"No," said Lucifer. "Duma was one of the few Angels who took my side in the rebellion against Dad, and subsequently fell with me. But while I was made the King of Hell, Duma and the others who fell were locked up behind one of Hell's many doors and punished for their sins. I visited them many times and tried to help them leave their cell, but they couldn't. Only recently have we realized why; Angels are self-punishing. They could only leave when they stopped feeling guilty for what they had done. After I returned to Hell, I explained this to them and encouraged them to forgive themselves. It's taken some time, and Duma so far is the only one who's managed to leave his cell."

"So, what does this mean?" Chloe asked.

"It means that Duma owes me a debt, for helping him break free from his punishment," Lucifer continued. "Or rather, _owed_, as I've already collected."

"And what did you ask him to do?" Hope was building in her chest…

Lucifer smiled. "Only a celestial can rule over Hell. So, I asked him to rule Hell in my place. And now I can remain here with you."

She reacted immediately, racing forwards and throwing her arms around him. The tears that had been building up were finally released, only they were happy ones.

"I get to keep you."

"For as long as you want me."

"That'll be a long time," she said in between sobs. "I guess you'll want your penthouse back."

He pulled back only a little so he could see her face. "You could stay."

It was a sign of how much he'd grown, that he was the one suggesting that they live together instead of running away from any form of commitment. "But it's your home."

"It wouldn't be home without you."

And his words sealed the deal.


End file.
